LA Lakers Trade Options: Ron Artest and Pau Gasol's Replacements for 2011

Ron Artest may seem to be on the opposite side of the hill than most NBA businessmen would appreciate.

His newly acquired state of tranquility may not fool me into thinking that he has turned over a calmer leaf, but I would fall short of saying that he cannot be of assistance to teams in the NBA that need that form of defensive aggression and occasionally clutch three-point bullet.

I know what you are thinking.

Artest’s contract of about $6.3 million dollars makes a salary cap cringe, because he is not necessarily one of those men who you trade for and all is right with the world. If there are some major needs on a squad and not much room to bargain, leave Artest be.

However, if a team is already structurally set for a deep playoff run and just needs that one last role player, Ron Artest could be the guy to fulfill those desires. There was once a time where he was as brilliant on the defensive end as they come. Many people refuse to remember that in last year’s finals, Artest was coming up with the perfect shots at the perfect time.

The Dallas series has made me question the motive and drive of every player on the Lakers’ squad with the exception of Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom and Kobe Bryant. His time in purple and gold is seemingly up and the midseason melee about Artest wanting out seems to have more truth behind it than ever.

Replacement: DeMarcus Cousins

When you’re talking about someone who is aggressive on both ends of the floor, you immediately spark in interest for rookie forward, DeMarcus Cousins.

He may have maturity issues that still need to be settled and Coach Mike Brown would have a field day containing his attitude, but it is undoubtedly accurate that he would be able to not only assist Andrew Bynum in the paint, but would be able to put up a few mid-range and around the rim finishing points of his own.

Even though after his no calls, you can guess that he will more than likely have the two-year-old pout, and Cousins can be molded into a more respectable and composed athlete. It only takes the right group of men surrounding him and the right man showing him the way.

Pau Gasol needs to be on his way out of Lakerville after his poor performance in this year’s playoffs. It was not just against the Dallas Mavericks, where the entire team seemingly collapsed.

His lackadaisical penetration and ball handling was showcased throughout the Lakers entire run in the playoffs. The first series may have been won against New Orleans, but that did not let Gasol off of the hook.

I cannot attest to knowing what was wrong with him or what personal drama led to his inability to play like he was in the postseason, but it was embarrassing to see him give up at such a crucial moment for the team.

When all are against you, it would seem to me that this would bring a team closer together, like a brotherhood. As brothers in the league, I expected Gasol to heed Kobe’s criticism, see how trying Bynum was at times when he was the sole contributor, and take some of the load off of his fellow soldiers.

Instead, Pau stayed in a rut that even his brother, Marc Gasol, trumped in Memphis. Although neither team made it to through the second round of the playoffs, it is common knowledge that Marc had the better postseason, and had a much wider impact on how his teammates played the game.

Replacement: Dwight Howard.

Even though the odds of this happening now that Mike Brown is the franchise’s head coach are slim to none, I still believe Howard’s "Hollywood personality" would make him consider the move.

There is really no reason to argue anything that he has been able to do in the league, because it has all been seen and done before. Everyone, including the Lakers themselves, understands why they need a man of his caliber on their team.

The Lakers were in for a rude awakening in the playoffs and watching how they recover in the 2011 season will be a sight to see.